Instructions for using a
computer device or
program. Documentation can appear in a variety of forms, the most common being manuals. When you buy a computer product (
hardware or
software), it almost always comes with one or more manuals that describe how to install and operate the product. In addition, many software products include an online version of the documentation that you can display on your
screen or print out on a
printer. A special type of online documentation is a
help system , which has the documentation embedded into the program. Help systems are often called
context-sensitive because they display different information depending on the
user's position (context) in the
application.
Documentation is often divided into the following categories:
A frequent lament from computer users is that their documentation is inscrutable. Fortunately, this situation is improving, thanks largely to advances in help systems and online tutorials. These forms of documentation make it much easier to deliver the specific information a user needs when he or she needs it.
